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Friday, September 18, 2009

Treating maggot wound in dogs/cats

Treating maggot wound in dogs/cats

How to treat the maggot wound?

Frankly speaking, everytime I smell maggots walking into the clinic, my eyes will close and my lip smile cheek-to-cheek. I like it! Not that I like the sight or smell of it, but I like it because I know that the wound will surely heal - given a few days.

It is one of the easiest, most straight forward treatable "sickness". Usually the cause is always "negligence" and the treatment is almost always the same - remove the maggots!

Removing the maggots is fun in itself. Often I feel like I'm in a competition - clocking how many maggots can I find and remove in how many minutes. It's such a thrilling challenge!

A "raw" ear after eaten by maggots for a week. Is healing rapidly.

However, after all the fun, I do have a price to pay. I have to live with the maggot stench - both on my hands, and body. Everywhere I go, I can smell the Maggoty Aroma trailing after me. From the corner of my eyes, I can almost always sense the people around me pinching the nose of their hearts. Hey, exhaust fan - you're not doing your job good enough!

6 comments:

During WW1, wounded soldiers who were retrieved a few days after they were wounded had a significantly higher survival rate than soldiers who were retrieved immediately after they were wounded and given orthodox wound care.

Why?

The wounds of the soldiers in the first category had become fly-blown and the emerging maggots then cleaned up all the dead and decaying wound tissue, while leaving living tissue intact, thereby preventing the dreaded gas gangrene.

My friend Leo's uncle was taken prisoner by the Germans after one of his arms had been shot off. The Germans put maggots on the shredded wound tissue, an action he credits with saving his life.

I'm not sure Pam,but I figure that when the maggots have cleaned up all the dead and decaying tissue, they change into pupae in order to transform into flies, which will hatch when ready. I would think that the pupae (or the magots?) probably fall off at the appropriate time, but I guess one could remove them (or the maggots) by hand (or rather with tweezers).

2/18/2011 After my cat was MIA for 2 weeks he just came home beat up real bad. After cleaning his very bloodied face I discovered 100's of maggots in his eye... they were probably deeper within his skull too. I had to say he was a stray and take him to an emergency vet so they could either help him with treatment or send him to heaven. I will never get that image out of my head. I loved him so much but being unemployed I can't afford to pay the enormous bill it woulda been. If they fix him I can readopt him from the humane society. It broke my heart to do this cause he knew he was home and I was there but I know in my heart I couldn't give him the true medical care he truly needed. I love you Casper and am sorry you got so hurt.